UPDATE 1-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Feb. 17

Redacción de Reuters

2 MIN. DE LECTURA

(Adds futures, company news)

Feb 17 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening up 34 points, or 0.6 percent, on Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers. Futures were up 0.3 percent at 0725 GMT. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on

* The UK blue chip index closed 0.7 percent higher at 5,862.17 points on Tuesday, as oil shares held on to gains after news that some oil producing countries were cooperating to tackle a supply glut.

* GLENCORE: Mining and trading giant Glencore said it raised $8.4 billion in debt commitments from banks as part of an early refinancing of its $8.45 billion revolving credit facility.

* ASTRAZENECA: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted breakthrough therapy designation to AstraZeneca's biggest new drug hope durvalumab as a treatment in bladder cancer, the drugmaker said on Wednesday.

* REXAM: Drinks can makers Ball Corp and Rexam Plc have begun the process of selling assets, potentially worth more than $3 billion, to meet antitrust regulations ahead of their planned merger, several people familiar with the matter said.

* BAE SYSTEMS: BAE Systems said on Wednesday it had chosen Indian conglomerate Mahindra Group to build a plant for the assembly of its M777 Ultra Lightweight Howitzer artillery guns that it wants to sell to India.

* BREXIT: German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants a fair deal to help keep Britain in the European Union that avoids giving Britain's financial sector an advantage over the euro zone through lighter regulation, deputies from her party said on Tuesday.